As one of only two
consistently attending Range Officers (of course you're the other one and the host, too!),
I'd like to make some of our fellow Thompson Show attendees aware of a few things.

The Thompson crowd is the ONLY civilian group allowed to use the
Newark Police Range. Newark doesn't even let some other local police departments use that
facility. The Thompson Collectors group should feel privileged to be allowed to use the
facility.Unfortunately loutish behavior could cost us a place to shoot.

Safety is first and foremost on any range, but every year more attendees
are ignoring the safety briefing Friday night by conversation and on Saturday morning by a
"Stylishly" - late arrival. Do you folks have so many places to go shooting that
you can afford to behave like asses in public in front of police officers on a P.D. Range.

Then we have the irresponsible shooters who arrive at the firing line
without ammunition, hearing protection, magazines, or a gun and expect them
(automatically) to be furnished on the spot. The two safety briefings told them what to
bring on to the firing line - if only they had listened! To those folks who borrowed
someone else's gun to shoot and "FORGOT" to say Thank You - SHAME ON YOU! This
type of behavior may result one day in loaner guns not being available. To the couple who
ignored the owner's request that you go "easy" on his gun (you know who you are)
and you couldn't be bothered to comply with the gun owner's wishes - you won't be
setting foot on a firing line again as long as I'm a Range Officer!

I would suggest in the future that we consider banning 50 and 100 round
drums at the shoot for safety reasons. Too many people want to do a single pull of the
trigger for the entire drum, when they can't control the gun. Houses are less than a half
of a mile beyond the backstop embankment at the range.

Some of you folks will remember Jim Warren's letter in the TCN ( a few
years ago) about the awesome pressures and responsibilities on the Range Officers - if you
don't I'd suggest that you go back through your old newsletters and read it again! In case
you hadn't noticed it's been a struggle to staff the range with qualified people and then
harder still to get them to return the following year. I, myself, have hosted an annual
machinegun shoot for nearly ten years and I'll tell you it's tough to keep making the
range owners happy and to keep the shooters from taking safety and the facility for
granted. Tracie didn't get written thank you notes from more than four or five people last
year. After all the time and trouble he went to, you couldn't take five minutes to say
thanks properly?

I'm looking forward to renewing old friendships at the next Thompson
Show and making new ones as well.